Cue-gun.



L. J-. GRAPE.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914 231 a 1 233 CbEEEFCPEEE Fri 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTO-THO. ASH'f-J TON. 'r

LOUIS J. GRAFF, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CUE-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 19.14:.

Application filed August 25, 1914. Serial N 0. 858,441.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs J GRAFF, eltizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have 1nvented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Cue-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in game apparatus in the form of a cue-gun or spring actuated projector for use as a substitute for the ordinary hand one used in games, such as billiards or pool, wherein balls are driven about a table or board. Where the table or board or the balls are of reduced size,

.the use of an ordinary cue of either full or reduced size is inconvenient and unsatisfactory. To meet these demands I have invented a spring actuated cue-gun provided with a sliding tip which is adapted to impact against the cue-ball; a plunger; a spiral spring adapted to actuate said plunger, and a second coiled spring interposed between said tip and said plunger to cushion the blow of the latter and so closely simulate the blow struck with anordinary cue. Means are provided for keeping said plunger in contact with said second spiral spring. Means are also provided for adjusting the tension of the plunger spring to regulate the strength of the blow, and a suitable trigger mechanism is provided to hold the said spring in its desired compression and to release the same when a blow is to be struck.

Other novel features of structure and arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative of the principles of my invention and not intended to limit the scope of the same to the exact construction shown, Figure l is a perspective of my improved cuegun with the tip extended as it is after a blow struck; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sec tion of the same, turned 180 from the position shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the cue-gun as shown in Fig. 1 shown loaded ready for use, the compressed to its plunger spring being greatest degree; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the gun, the trigger frame being shown in section and the outer casing broken away, and Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line V-V in Fig. 4.

' projection 19 on the finger The following the drawings.

1 is the barrel provided at one end, the right hand end in the drawings, with a rig- 1dly attached collar 2 threaded. interiorly to receive a nipple 3 through which extends the sliding plunger 4 which is provided at its outer end with head 5 and rubber bufi'er 6 which strikes against the nipple 3. With- 111 the barrel 1 the plunger 4: is provided with a plurality of projections or circumferential collars a, b and 0. Coiled about the plunger 4t is a stout spiral spring 7, one of whose ends bearsagainstthe inner end of the nipple 3 while its other end bears against the first collar a. The spring 7 tends to force the plunger 4 inwardly in relation to the barrel. The other end of the barrel 1, the left end in the drawings, is upset inwardly, to form the annular stop 8.

9 is a cylinder telescoping in the barrel 1 through said stop 8 and the inner end of said cylinder is upset outwardly to form an annular stop 10.

11 is a spiralspring, of less strength than the spring 7, coiled about the cylinder 9 and having its ends bearing respectively against the stops 8 and 10. Thus the tendency of the spring 11 is to telescope the cylinder 9 in the barrel 1.

The inner end of the plunger 4 telescopes into the inner end of the cylinder 9 and is held in such engagement by the action of the coiled spring 11.

Adjacent to its outer end the cylinder 9 is circumferentially crimped to form an inter nal shoulder 12.

13 is a spiral spring of less strength than spring 7, seated in the interior of the cylinder 9 and bearing against said shoulder 12 and the inner end of the plunger 4.

In the outer end of cylinder 9 is mounted the striking tip 1 1 of leather or other suitable material.

15 is a transverse slot in the wall of the barrel 1 and 16 is a spring finger mounted on said barrel and having an angular inwardly bent end adapted to extend through said slot and engage one of the collars a, b or c on the plunger l.

17 is a frame secured to said barrel adjacent to the finger l6 and having mounted therein a spring trigger 18 which engages a 16. 20 is a button on said trigger extending through a corresponding hole 21 in the frame 17.

is a detailed description of 22 is a box or casing secured to the barrel 1 and surrounding the trigger and frame and covering the slot 15. The top, 23 of said casing may be removably secured thereto as by bent fingers 24: on the casing. Said top isprovided with a hole 25 to permit the protrusion of the button 20. It is evident that when said button is pressed inwardly the trigger 18 forces the finger 16 out of engagement with the collar on the plunger and permits the plunger spring 7 to expand driving the plunger 4: inwardly and compressing the spring 13, thus throwing the cylinder 9 and the tip 1% outwardly to strike the cuedoall.

The cue-gun may be set or loaded by drawing the plunger outward by means of directly upon the tip or upon in which the tip is mounted, the blow would its head 5 and thus compressing the spring 7 until the desired collar is engaged by the spring finger 16, the spring 11 causing the cylinder 9 to follow inwardly after the plunger thus maintaining the end of the plunger telescoped in cylinder 9 and in con tact with the end of spring 13. If a light blow is to be struck, the first collar a is engaged by the finger 16; if a medium blow is to be struck, the second collar 6 is engaged. by said finger, while a hard blow is obtained by compressing the spring 7 until the last collar 0 is engaged by said finger. Any number of collars may be provided, so that any strength of blow may be struck bythe tip, thus regulating the force of the blow with great nicety. However, for practical. use, I find that three collars, and consequently three spring tensions, are su'l'ficient. If the plunger were permitted to strike the cylinder be too stiii to give the desired results. therefore interpose a coiled spring between the tip cylinder and the plunger and thus obtain the resiliency in tip impact which is characteristic of the properly imparted impact of an ordinary hand cue.

What I desire to claim is 1. A cue-gun for the purpose described comprising a casing, a plunger extending into said casing, a spring in said casing and engaging said plunger, said spring tending to force said plunger into said casing, a trigger mechanism adapted to hold said spring compressed, a striking tip slidingly mounted in said casing, a coiled spring tending to force said and a third spring interposed between the inner end of said plunger and said tip.

tip inwardly in said casing,

2. A cue-gun for the purpose described comprising a casing, a plunger extending into said casing, a coiled spring in sai casing mounted on said plunger and tending to drive the latter inwardly in said casing, a trigger mechanism adapted to hold said spring compressed, a cylinder extending into the other end of said casing, a seconc coiled spring in said casing mounted on said cylinder and tending to drive the same inwardly insaid casing, the end of said plunger telescoping into said cylinder, a tip mounted on the outer end of said cylinder, and a coiled spring in said cylinder interposed between said tipand the inner end of said plunger.

3. A. cue-gun for the purpose described comprising a. casing, a plunger extending into said casing, a coiled spring in said casing mounted on said plunger and tending to drive the latter inwardly in said casing, a flange on said plunger, a trigger mechanism adapted to engage said flange and hold said spring compressed, a cylinder extending into the other end of said casing, a second coiled spring ed on said cylinder and tending to drive the same inwardly said casing, the end of said plunger telescoping into said cylinder, a tip mounted on the outer end of said cylin said casing mountv inder, and a coiled spring in said cylinder interposed between said end of said plunger.

i. A cue-gun for the purpose described comprising a casing, a plunger extending into said casing, a-coiled spring in said casing mounted on said plunger and tending to drive the latter inwardly in said casing, a series of flanges on said plunger,a trigger mechanism adapted to engage one of said flanges and hold said spring compressed, a cylinder extending into the other end of said casing, a second coiled spring in said casing mounted on said cylinder and tending to drive the same inwardly in said? casing, the end of the plunger telescoping into-said cylinder, a tip mounted on the outer end of said cylinder, and a coiled spring insaic cylinder interposed: between: said tip and the inner end oii said plunger.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this. 22nd day of August, 1914.

LOUIS J. GRAFF.

lVitnesses E. A. Lawrence, JOHN McKnnvin.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents, each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D; C.

tip: and the inner 

